Face It: Gratitude Is The Attitude

If I didn’t sit & think ( or meditate ) I would not be the best version of myself on The Skinny Confidential.

One of the themes that has come up a lot in my morning meditation sessions is GRATITUDE.

Sitting with what I have in that moment & being 100% fulfilled without wanting more.

Just appreciating the people & things I have around me.

Tony Robbins always talks about ACHIEVEMENT vs. FULFILLMENT.

“Success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure in life. The worse advice you can get is ‘go achieve all your goals’. Most people do that and they go, ‘is this all there is’? … what you have to find out is what’s going to fulfill you.”

I BELIEVE with every speck of my being that fulfillment…starts with gratitude.

Gratitude is taking the time to look around & appreciate life’s beauty. Embrace. Feel it. Be thankful.

And here’s the thing: gratitude is really very simple.

It’s taking a moment or two every day to think about things or people you’re grateful for.

I’ll start. Today I wrote down three things:

1.) I am grateful for the incredible, special time I spent with my grandma. The Nanz was truly my best friend & we did everything together. She was even working with me on The Skinny Confidential. I am grateful I had time with a friend like her.

2.) The Skinny Confidential community keeps me feeling grateful. To be able to connect with you guys on a daily basis gives me fuel. I feel like I have a community of friends all over the world.

3.) YOGA. Yoga has helped me be still. I am grateful for stillness where I can sit with my thoughts. It allows me to function at a higher creative level AND step back & enjoy the ride. Yoga has been life-changing, mentally. Health is wealth.

( To be honest I’m also very thankful for noise canceling headphones because now I can write in bed without disturbing Michael ).

Anyway, tomorrow I’ll write down three more, & the next day three more, & then so on and so on.

The other day I woke up in a horrific, bleak mood. Michael’s delivery was off in something he said to me & I snapped at him. Immediately afterwards I went into my office & took three deep breaths & wrote down three things I was grateful for ( one being Michael ). The whole day changed just like that. I had a choice in a moment to hold a grudge & be a bitch all day OR to shift my focus to gratitude. Changing my mindset from scarcity to abundance. Simple really.

Honestly it’s easier & more comfortable to be the bitch, FYI.

Gratitude takes getting uncomfortable to become comfortable but its rewards are worth the work.

This source states: “two psychologists, Michael McCollough of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis, wrote an article about an experiment they conducted on gratitude & its impact on well-being. The study split several hundred people into three different groups and all of the participants were asked to keep daily diaries. The first group kept a diary of the events that occurred during the day without being told specifically to write about either good or bad things; the second group was told to record their unpleasant experiences; and the last group was instructed to make a daily list of things for which they were grateful. The results of the study indicated that daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy. In addition, those in the gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, were more likely to help others, exercised more regularly, and made greater progress toward achieving personal goals.

If something positive happens to you, your level of happiness rises, & then it returns once again to your “happiness set-point.” A practice of gratitude raises your “happiness set-point” so you can remain at a higher level of happiness regardless of outside circumstances. Overall this research shows that those who practice gratitude tend to be more creative, bounce back more quickly from adversity, have a stronger immune system, and have stronger social relationships than those who don’t practice gratitude. He further points out that “To say we feel grateful is not to say that everything in our lives is necessarily great. It just means we are aware of our blessings.”

Hence why I write them down.

I feel like writing them keeps me very aware. And awareness is key.

My dad is always grateful. He’s always optimistic. Sometimes to the point where you like want him to not be SO positive. But he never sways. I continually admire these qualities so much. The reason he’s so positive is because he is constantly leading with gratitude ( love you, Daddy! ).

OK, now it’s your turn: what are you grateful for? It can just be one word if you want. Try starting tomorrow with a thought of gratitude. It just might set the tone of your day.

XO lauryn

+ new podcast episode is up with Michael’s dad, Gary Bosstick ( …he’s a REAL hoot & super entrepreneurial ). Also, be sure to listen to the podcast I WANT HER JOB. They interviewed me about business/life. Super fun one.

This is so well written and such an important topic to discuss. I’ve always been into yoga but have gotten much more involved lately and notice such an intense shift in my daily perspective when I practice regularly. Things that would usually cause me to throw a fit don’t, and I notice the importance of the little things even more. Lately I am really grateful for the fact that I have everything I need. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in thinking that my life isn’t good enough and that I’m not as established as I should be, but I was sitting in the steam room at my gym yesterday after a great workout and thought about how lucky I was to be there at that moment – in a beautiful facility, with a healthy body, and surrounded by friends.

I LOVE this. I either write or say out loud 3-5 things I’m grateful for every day and it immediately sets the tone for the day. I hope everyone reads this and begins to add it into their daily routine. It would make such an incredible difference in this world!

LOVE this post, Lauryn! Gratitude is oh so important and I could definitely use more of it in my life. Every night before I go to bed I’ve been listing off all the things I’m grateful for. Writing them down is such a great idea though, I’m definitely going to start doing that! xo Devon Seventeen Dresses

Love this post. I am actually already writing things down I’m gratefil for every day, and it really is helping me. Today I’m really grateful for the wonderful time I had with my boyfriend (he passed away in November), and I cherish every memory I have with him. I feel so lucky an grateful that he has been a part of my life. I’m also grateful for my amazing family who are always there for me no matter what. And then I’m so grateful for spring finally having come to London – the sun just makes everything better.

I agree with this so much, and I think you’re spreading such a positive, important message (as always). I actually had this habit a while back (loved it) but have fallen out of it. This post has inspired me to make it a priority again. Today’s would be… 1.) My final exam this morning went surprisingly well. 2.) My parents both support me unconditionally and have helped me through so much recently. 3.) I have been able to successfully make travel a priority in my life despite being a “starving student”.

I love this- I take time every morning to focus on my daily three priorities and reflect on at least one thing I’m gratitude for. But maybe I need to bump it up to three!

I just realized you’re going to Coachella weekend one- so am I! I just bought Replenix sunscreen to wear under my makeup for the weekend- such a good recommendation. Curious- if I were to see you and Michael, are you okay with readers coming up to chat? It’s such a fun weekend and I wouldn’t want to interrupt!

Hi Lauryn! Awesome post- gratitude is so extremely important in changing my day and helping me to appreciate what I currently have while I’m building what I want. I use the 5 Minute Journal which has been an awesome reminder everyday to be thankful. You can start your morning with it (I use right before a quick yoga & meditation) and end your day with it. You can snag it on Amazon.
Have a great weekend!
Lauren 🙂 http://laurenvacula.com

Family. I am so grateful for my family. Because regardless of all the shit I’ve put them through in the past, they’re still there. And always will be. They still love me no matter what and because of that I’ve never been in a better place with them than now.